


Samsara

by Noirwind



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-03-13 05:52:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3370232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noirwind/pseuds/Noirwind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of AU one-shots and drabbles that tie into each other, one way or another. Characters will be added when they appear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just where had it all gone so wrong?

Where?

Just where had it all gone so wrong?

“Step aside,” it ordered in a voice that was cold and dead, familiar yet so foreign. “You are not the target for my master’s wrath.”

He chose to stand where he was, steadfast as his dueling, under the piercing glare of those blood-red eyes. Behind him he could feel the faint presence of the masked soldiers, beaten within an inch of their lives. He could feel Kurosaki’s helplessness, Sora’s shock. Everyone here was petrified, for good reason. The enormous, dark power that made the land itself tremble in fear would have made any other man bend their knee.

He too was shaking, but for the sake of his friend, this was no time to show such weakness.

“No.”

The tension in the air was sharper than a blade.

The huge shadow behind his friend shifted, bringing its sinuous neck down beside its summoner. Bright luminous eyes and scintillating violet orbs contrasted greatly against a backdrop of scales dark as night, and from within the depths of its throat a growl surfaced just as the person beside it voiced,

“Why are you defending them?”

His own eyes narrowed.

“Because this is not what Yuuya would do.”

A snarl rumbled, deep and threatening. Silver fangs flashed in tandem with the lightning from the overcast sky.

“If you will not move, then you too shall fall with the rest of them!”

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, his duel disk whirred to life. He glared at the beast with steely determination.

“I, the man Gongenzaka, will bring my friend Yuuya back! No matter what it takes!”

The black dragon king raised its head to the sky and let out a terrifying scream. Thunder roared. Rain fell in spades.

“Foolish plebian. Rue the day that you would bare your fangs towards the absolute ruler of all!”

“DUEL!”


	2. Re:Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All eyes are focused on him, but he only has eyes for the one the world has denied him time and time again.
> 
> 「会いたかったよ」

When he finally wakes, he feels as though he has woken from the longest dream, a dream where he was one but also four, in a world that was one but also four.

Four sets of experiences, four sets of memories, four sets of personalities. He is tired, though, so he resigns himself to sort through them later, and focuses instead on where he is.

The chamber he is in is needlessly noisy. From his vantage point he can see all the humans gathered around the altar, the leader of the mismatched troupe finishing off the one who claimed its heart. A part of him throbs in recognition at all the familiar faces, even though he cannot recall who they are.

How boring. Perhaps he should just go back to sleep.

But when he lifts his head slightly, he catches sight of something that he cannot overlook. A girl wrapped in chains, deep in slumber.

_Yuzu… No, not anymore… just as you yourself are no longer the one known as Sakaki Yuuya._

He too is bound, but not for long.

Around him the shadows shift restlessly, awaiting the order he is quick to give. The metal that chains him down is swiftly erased from existence. He drops to gravity’s will, wrapped in darkness, landing soundlessly on plated boots, his clothes shifting to a regal garb of robes and armor, goggles disappearing entirely.

The voices that once permeated this chamber have all but silenced.

All eyes are focused on him, but he only has eyes for the one the world has denied him time and time again.

_Why are you sleeping?_

The shadow of the beaten man stands before him, a man whose identity is lost in the sea of fragmented memories, a person of too little importance for him to recall.

 _But then again, no one is of importance to him right now, apart from_ her.

The man opens his arms, a meaningless gesture. Says something he doesn’t care to listen.

「きえろ」  
_Get lost_

The darkness moves. The man disappears. Nobody speaks as a body crashes gracelessly at the far end of the temple. The shock and fear of his effortless display is nearly tangible.

Surrounding him and the pillar to which he was previously imprisoned is a wall of light, though whether or not it was made to keep something out (or something in) hardly matters when destruction is but a second nature to him.

All he has to do is will it.

He raises a hand, and the glowing wall explodes outwards, scattering its shards across the marble.

Stalking forwards, he moves past the petrified crowd to stand before the shimmering divide that surrounds the dreaming goddess.

Just as he did his own, a single touch shatters the barrier that separates him from her.

He floats up to join her, and the rest of the world falls away in her presence.

_She is beautiful, even as she sleeps._

His fingers hover a hair’s inch over her lips, so close that he can feel her underneath his skin, yet his hand trembles.

_What if he breaks her too?_

「あなたは私を傷つけることはない」  
_You would never hurt me_

Her voice is soft, like whispers on the wind, a murmur from the distant past. The memory is a comforting presence that gives him strength, just like all the times it has when she was by his side.

He glides his hand along the contours of her face, brushing the bangs away from her eyes, then slides down to cup her cheek in his palm.

「起きて」  
_Wake up_

Slowly, as if recognizing his touch, as if waiting for his touch, she begins to stir.

His heart flutters.

_What should he say to her?_

_That it’s been a long time? That she’s as sleepy as always?_

Her half-lidded eyes blink once, twice, and the first thing those mesmerizing blues catch is his own.

First incomprehension, then recognition, happiness, and a plethora of unspeakable emotions.

At his command the darkness slithers upwards, darting into the fetters that bind her to the pillar. The metal ages into dust that disperses into the wind.

No longer bound, she falls into his arms, dressed by the light in silk-smooth fabrics and wisping cloths, arms wrapped around his neck. He accommodates that desire and pulls her into a powerful hug.

Her smell is overpowering, sweet as a rose and as nostalgic as it will ever be, reminiscent of all the things she loves, every little creation she crafts with her masterful hands while the lullaby that she hums guides the dying worlds into the eternal rest.

For the first time in a long time, he greets her as he would, with the smile she has always loved.

「おはよう」  
_Good morning_

Her mouth curls upwards in a dazzling arc, her breath feather-soft and ticklish against his neck as she presses her forehead to his, drawing close.

Their lips touch, the first of many to come.

「会いたかったよ」  
_I missed you_


	3. Deck Building

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Akaba Reiji is right, as much as I hate to admit it. My Entermates aren't strong enough. They're not meant for fighting."

It is only his second turn, and the room is silent as the duel ends. Everyone else is staring at him, either in surprise or interest. Sawatari in particular is open-mouthed.

"What happened to your deck?" he asks at last, as he picks himself up from the floor, dusting off his pants.

Yuuya really isn't in the mood for this though. He never wanted to duel in the first place (it's not fun anymore, is it?), but everyone else had insisted, especially Akaba Reiji. He hopes they're happy. He fakes a wobble in his legs, takes advantage of the breathlessness and weakness he displayed in the duel earlier to forge an escape with the excuse of nursing a slight fever. It is easy enough to pull off.

Yuuya is an actor and a very good one at that. Even if Akaba Reiji suspects otherwise he cannot afford to risk his most prized Lancer falling ill.

Gongenzaka corners him later in the night (of course it would be Gongenzaka), the look on his face grim. After making sure that no one is in the corridors his childhood friend locks the door behind him, then moves over to shut the windows and pull the curtains close. Only after he makes sure that the room is completely sealed that he speaks, and even then in whispers.

"What happened to your Entermates?"

Yuuya doesn't reply. Keeps his head down, a hand clasped over the pendant around his neck.

"Yuuya, you didn't use any of them in your duel just now. What happened to them?"

"I left them behind." His voice is low, soft enough that only Gongenzaka would be able to hear. The Entermates are symbolic of Yuuya's dreams. Symbolic of the kind of person he wants to be. "Those cards don't have a place here. I don't want them to be tainted by this war."

He doesn't want to see the cards that were used to bring smiles to people tear down a person on the opposing side. Doesn't want to let the child-like spirits in that deck be exposed to all... this.

"And you would allow these new cards to be?"

Yuuya clams up. Closes his eyes. Then as if having decided on something, Yuuya fishes out his deck, fans out the cards and picks up his magicians. Dragonvein and Dragonpit, Insight and Dharma Eye, Peasant Dragon and Noble Dragon. He'd only taken Astromancy and Chronomancy from this deck when he changed playstyles, as well as Destruction and Creation later on for their new Xyz supporting effects. Now, they were back where they belonged.

He always did like the theme of duality.

Yuuya holds out the magician pairs to Gongenzaka, who looks them over with a critical eye.

"Did you know, the Entermates weren't my first deck. This one is."

At this statement, Gongenzaka looks up at him with wide eyes. There are some secrets Yuuya doesn't disclose even to his closest friends. Secrets, such as being capable of hearing the voices of his duel monster spirits, as well as the very existence of the deck he abandoned so many years ago. 

"This is my real deck, the one I used to play with my dad before I switched to Entermates." Before he decided to take up entertainment dueling, when all he thought of duels was winning. "Funny that they're pendulums now too."

Yuuya's smile is somewhat bitter.

"I didn't know you had a tuner." Gongenzaka's talking about Noble Dragon. "Why didn't you play this in the battle with Sawatari?"

"It wasn't necessary." Yuuya had, after all, won using one of two new dragons that had awakened some time before the duel. The Xyz one, with its ability to negate an attack and recycle the Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon used for its overlay, was more than enough to win him the game. There was no need to show off that he could Synchro Summon as well. No. Leave that for another time, another day, for a duel in which he had no choice other than to use it. Akaba Reiji never played all the cards in his hand, so there was no reason why Yuuya should not do the same.

"Akaba Reiji is right, as much as I hate to admit it. My Entermates aren't strong enough. They're not meant for fighting."

He thinks back to his entertainment deck, thinks of all the times he only barely managed to scrape through with a win, thinks of all the battles where losing was not an option.

_"In a real battle, there isn't another chance!"_

He swallows hard and pushes the memory away.

"If I want to save Yuzu and Sora, I have to become stronger." He clenches his fist. "Much, much stronger."

A strong hand clamps down on his shoulder.

"I'll help too. You don't have to do this alone, Yuuya. Yuzu and Sora... we'll definitely get them back."

"Definitely."


	4. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was this what Yugo felt too, whenever he flew alongside Clear Wing with the D-Wheel he so dearly loved?

The bike feels foreign and familiar at the same time, like he'd owned it his entire life. Maybe he did. 

It is his now, after all. It has always been his.

Yuuya traces his fingers over the streamlined shape, around the grips and down a paint-hidden scar near the front that had been borne from an unlucky crash at some point in time, probably that one time he rammed into the lamp post in a moment of inattentiveness, because Jack had been livid for days after that and Crow had been rolling on the floor, laughing non-stop. The memory makes him wince.

He recalls the first day he set his eyes on its completed form. It had took him so, so long to build it. His friends had been so proud. He had been so proud. Rin, especially, was ecstatic. Rin, the crude, strong girl with a sharp tongue that was always by his side every step of the way, supporting him, helping him, guiding him like Ruri did.

And Yuzu.

All of them were now in the hands of the enemy, and they could not do anything to stop that from happening.

Now they had to wait for Akaba Reiji to make the decision for them to storm into Academia. But it is too long a wait and that makes him restless. What would happen to them while Akaba Reiji dallied upon his apathetic decisions? He cannot bear the thought of Ruri carded. Of Yuzu in chains. Of Rin suffering.

 _Too slow._ Says a hissing voice. And it is right.

If he had a choice he would just storm into their base- and then what? The other part of him argues. What will you do once you get there? You do not even have a target- And he'll find that target eventually by beating everyone there who stands in his- Can you even take on an army- Ambush tactics- In the first place how are you going to get to _there_ , when you don't even know where  _there_ is? No, they should wait.

Because what else can he do other than wait? What can he do to save them, without charging headfirst into a battle that cannot be won? What can he even do, when he does not hold the power to cross the dimensions-

From his extra deck a light begins to glow, and a low snarl draws his attention aside. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon looms above him, ghostly and invisible to everyone save himself, the look in its eyes questioning.

Then Yuuya remembers.

He smiles and shakes his head in resignation. Clear Wing had always been the most prideful of the dragons, and for good reason. 

"Do you want to fly?" He asks, yet deep down he already knows what it wants. It, too, has always known what he wants.

The dragon responds to the question with a flick of its wings. It brings its head level to his eyes, challenging him.

Yuuya turns, dons the jacket always slung over his shoulders, pulls on his leather gloves, sets the white helmet over his head. His vision becomes tinged in blue. Momentum hums to life as does the D-Wheel, revving up for another ride.

"Then let's fly."

* * *

The clock hands align at twelve. Everyone who is supposed to be there is there, except for one person.

"Where's Sakaki?" Nakajima asks, clearly irritated. The other Lancers look at each other, then turn to Sawatari and Gongenzaka. Sawatari sweats. Gongenzaka remains steadfast, a true believer in his friend.

"Yuuya will come." He insists, but his words are rent by crimson blaring.

"President, we're detecting huge amounts of energy gathering at the port!"

A projection screen flashes into existence above their heads, expanding across the room. Moving within the eye of the camera is an unknown white vehicle and its rider, moving down the seafront and past the warehouses at a blistering speed. 

"Wait, that's-!"

The camera zooms in, catching a miraculous glimpse of the rider's eyes beneath the tinted visor. The angle and curve to it is unmistakable.

"Yuuya?!"

"What the hell's he doing there? No wait, does he even know how to ride a bike? He's going in the wrong direction!"

"I'll try contacting him!" Gongenzaka offers hurriedly, already searching for Yuuya's number. 

Reiji's face is indifferent, but his tone falls harsh. "Continue to track his movements."

_("You're not going after him?!")_

"Don't lose sight of him!"

At that precise moment however the screen glitches, the shadows of magnificent dragons blocking Yuuya from view, but they are gone in a blink. While the camera refocuses, the bike only continues to pick up speed, until the lenses can no longer catch up and a blinding flash kills the monitors.

The dial tone from the gray duel disk cuts off abruptly, replaced by a whir of sound and static.

When the vision is recovered, there is no longer a trace of the white motorcycle nor its rider.

* * *

They say you lose sight of everything when you're having fun. Things like time and places and purposes. They weren't lying. 

The D-Wheel feels as natural in his hands as dueling is, even though it is his first time handling it. It feels as though it was made for him in mind, the curve of its body just nice for him to lean comfortably against, the balance controls perfect and the acceleration flawless. It moves easily to his command, leads him into twists and turns he never knew he could perform. The extreme speeds leave him exhilarated and breathless. 

Somehow, Yuuya ends up driving by the docks. The sea breeze is salty, the sea spray cold and sticky on his neck. All he did is ride. Ride and fly. The spirit forms of Dark Rebellion and Clear Wing rend the afternoon skies at searing speeds and with blade-like wings while Odd-eyes remains faithfully by his side, playing a game of chase with his D-Wheel. He could do this forever. 

This is the place where everything started, where he first met the girl he thought was Ruri, where he would huddle in the shadows to sleep the cold night away when he had yet to accept this world as his new home, where he first found Yuzu's lost Polymerization card.

This is also the place where that girl swore to become stronger, the place he swore to his mother to become stronger and bring everyone home.

And this will be the place where he leaves the world he knew behind for the sake of a girl he dedicated his life to find and save.

"Lead the way, Clear Wing." Yuuya says, and his newest dragon bellows in acknowledgement as it moves to soar above him. Its wings, beautiful translucent emeralds, start to glow, shards of light spiraling off its edges, drawing strength from his conviction.

The world around him begins to accelerate, scenery passing by as smudged splotches of colour, the wind whipping past his face. Yuuya can feel the adrenaline pulsing in his veins, the absolute rush that accompanies racing a D-Wheel down the extravagant highways of City. The sensation is overwhelming, and Yuuya greets it like an old friend.

Was this what Yuugo felt too, whenever he flew alongside Clear Wing with the D-Wheel he so dearly loved? Was he seeing this now? He must be, because in the recesses of his mind is barely suppressed excitement, bubbling to the surface. Or that could also be from Yuuto, who probably has never had this sort experience. His lips pull up into the widest grin he can manage and he lets out a whooping laugh, carried into silence by the howling winds as the engines kick into overdrive with a deafening roar, as the gates open and Maiami City fades into the star-streaked background of the time-space tunnel. The wheels of his bike touch down upon the shining road, blitzing forwards and only forwards.

He never looks back.

If he is honest with himself, Yuuya does not know where he is going. He is merely putting his trust in Clear Wing. The same Clear Wing who knows exactly where he needs to be, who has guided him to Heartland, to Standard and back to City.

It will guide him this time as well.

He makes a resolute promise to himself, and to Yuuto, and to Yuugo. He will get them back. Yuzu, Ruri, Rin... he _will_ get them back, even if it means doing it alone. Even if it means making the four dimensions his enemies.

Even if the world must crumble beneath his feet once more.


	5. Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 「Your master is my master now.」
> 
> He has always been.

The spirit world of Yuuto’s deck used to be one of noble knights and gallant warriors, until the day they were attacked. After that the deck became one of ghosts and phantasms, the lurking spirits of the dead in the vestiges of a glorious kingdom torn to ruins. The spirit world of Yuuya’s deck, on the other hand, is an abandoned circus set in the valleys of the deepest mountains, guarded by massive tents of fading colours, hanging lights that refuse to glow and sagging flags that drape above the tents.

The air seems to darken wherever it goes, shadows seeping from the tips of its wings and tainting the already forgotten land in black. The winds carry chatter, fearful noises and animal sounds of the children that live within this world. They are nervous, no doubt. It had been their enemy just mere moments ago, and now it has become one of their own. 

A shadow darts past its legs, swift and fleeting, and in the other corner a dusty old carpet of squirrel pelt shuffles nearer to a bulb that blinks dimly. A jester watches it with dark ruby eyes, fanning out a deck of cards sharp as blades. In the distance a bellowing song trumpets, echoing with the force of a war horn. Fittingly enough, Dark Rebellion senses trouble stirring in the wind; triggered by the rusted gears that should never have been turned. 

There is a shifting of cloth, a slithering that almost familiar. But Dusty Robe did not belong to this world. Instead, the magician of Astromancy greets it with a stiff bow - hardly a surprise. They both vividly remember the time when its master fouled Chronomancy’s attempt to protect its dragon brother. There is nothing to fear from this escort, who lived only to guide while the night continues to sleep. It follows Astromancy, and notes to its amusement that a couple of the animals seem to be following it as well, too afraid to be upfront about their peaked interest but too curious to allow themselves left behind. Astromancy leads it deeper into the tents, behind empty boxes and broken toys, until they reach the exit.

Or rather, the entrance.

Hidden behind the fabric is the massive, gaping mouth of a cave that digs deep into the surrounding mountains. The passage itself is lightless, marked by the dimmed altars of the elements that had only just begun to stir. The darkness is overwhelming, but it is familiar and reminiscent of a time long past. It is a painful memory that pokes at the dying embers of long-suppressed rage, stirring salamanders and flame sprites from their rest. If it were Starve Venom, perhaps those flames would have became an all-consuming inferno, devouring everything. But that hunger is elsewhere, faint and distant, as if parted by an invisible wall that could not be passed. It is a different brother that it has found.

Dark Rebellion spies the red dragon easily, resting atop an ornate altar carved from marble, surrounded on either side by twin pillars of striking cerulean light. Of them four, Odd-Eyes is easily the weakest in terms of abilities. But Odd-Eyes is also the only one who inherited their immortality. It is sleeping, but when Dark Rebellion draws close those heterochromic eyes flash into wakefulness. It rises from its nest, stance predatory, staring Dark Rebellion down in the same fashion they did earlier.

Unlike their foolhardy and hotheaded Synchro sibling, however, Odd-Eyes does not move to attack. It was never the confrontational type. Instead it moves aside, an offer to rest. Dark Rebellion hesitantly flies up to join it. A second pair of light pillars rise from the altar’s edge as it touches down, marked by the pulsating symbols of Creation and Destruction. Its magicians, just as Time and Space were Odd-Eyes’.

Its new master’s deck has suddenly become strangely accommodating. The circus animals, once so fearful and wary of it, have relaxed upon seeing Odd-Eyes’ acceptance. One of the donkeys has already strayed from its siblings, bravely stepping upfront to watch it curiously. It makes a strange braying sound that causes its smug looking brother to roll its eyes. Some of the other troupe members also begin to move up. It takes note of them: the viper, the water strider, the wolf, and the camel. Perhaps they would soon swear to its service.

Odd-Eyes gives a signal, nothing more than a display of teeth. The curious animals are quickly herded out by its magicians, leaving the two of them alone.

Folding its wings, Dark Rebellion lies down to rest. The spirits of the sword and the stave swirl around it. Power surges into its tired body, giving it strength, healing its wounds. But like all things, it will take time. It can feel Odd-eye’s lingering gaze, and it hisses when a sharp sting lances through its side, courtesy of Odd-eye’s poking an injury it missed.

「 _You’re hurt._ 」

Dark Rebellion grunts resignedly. 

「 _It’ll heal._ 」

「 _Was it Clear Wing?_ 」

「 _Who else would it be?_ 」

They lapse into silence.

Yuuya’s deck is a different sort of quiet from Yuuto’s. It is a calm, peaceful serenity, not the restless, heavy atmosphere filled with dead whispers and reeking of hatred. The change should be jarring.

It isn't.

_It is what it should be._

「 _And what of your master?_ 」 Odd-Eyes asks, as it lies down beside it.

「 _Here._ 」Dark Rebellion simply replies. 「 _Your master is my master now._ 」He has always been.

Another silence, this one brooding. The land itself bemoans the quiet. It rumbles lowly, like the growl of a slumbering beast. Dark Rebellion wonders of its dreams, and the waiting game they have to play.

「 _Will you help me?_ 」It asks abruptly, looking into the emerald eye perched above the golden beak.

「 _Do I have a choice?_ 」

Around them the shadows shift restlessly. Dark Rebellion grunts.

「 _No, I suppose not._ 」

「 _…as long as you do not hurt him. My master is different from the one you knew._ 」

「 _Our masters are different from the one we knew._ 」

「 _As are we._ 」

Odd-Eyes shifts again. It is restless, and understandably so. Pain and the haze of sleep prevent Dark Rebellion from doing the same. Instead it draws on a memory carved into its bones, reminiscing. 

「 _T_ _he time will come again._ 」

「 _Do we have a choice?_ 」Odd-Eyes repeats, nestling back down by its side.

Dark Rebellion simply grunts again.「 _No, I suppose not._ 」

「 _Since the beginning, w_ _e never had any_ _._ 」


End file.
